Science education

This paper explores differences between scientists’ experiences of science and the investigations that are a common type of learning activity in school science. The first half of the paper makes a case for distinguishing between investigative processes that build new knowledge and those that help students learn knowledge that is only “new” for them. The second half of the paper examines the implications of this rethinking for the assessment of practical investigations – and in particular for the implementation of NCEA Achievement Standard 1.1 at Year 11.

This article outlines Chinese-speaking students' perceptions of what helps and what hinders their learning of science in English in New Zealand secondary classrooms. Six students were interviewed to ascertain their views and explore their experiences.

A national research project investigated environmental education practice in New Zealand schools. This article describes and discusses key characteristics of current practice and the achievements of that practice in environmental education for teachers, students, schools, and the wider school community.

Education for the environment is invariably considered to be the fundamental element in education "in, about, and for" the environment. However, research from New Zealand and elsewhere suggests that too few primary and secondary school programmes actually achieve substantial outcomes for the environment.
 

A critical stocktake of practice identifies key factors for environmental education programmes as being resource provision, professional development, time for planning and action, funding, overcrowded school curricula, and the non-mandatory status of environmental education.

A research project looking at Māori student participation and achievement in science and mathematics education examined four junior secondary school programmes that targeted Māori in these subject areas. Students and parents were found to prefer activity-based programmes, provided they dealt with contemporary activities and topics of interest to the students.

Helping students to use metacognition involves assisting students to think about their own learning. This article shows how a teacher in a final-year high school biology class scaffolded learning by promoting metacognition.

The water cycle is an important context for school science, but the uncritical use of diagrams to simplify ideas may lead to misconceptions. Incorporating learning about how representations such as water cycle diagrams function, helps students to explore and understand the complexities of such a system.

This article illustrates the potential of using multiple means to help express and develop ideas.

Here, the focus is on ways to build continuity, coherence, and connections in learning over time.